August 22, 2023 4:53 am
Monday was a busy day in the Peters Township School District. According to Superintendent Dr. Jeanine French, Monday was the first day for all teachers to report. Along with veteran teachers the district welcomed 16 new faces that will be disbursed throughout all district buildings. The school board worked through an agenda Monday night that was largely procedural. One item of interest, district participation in classes at the Western Area Career and Technology Center has increased by 50%. French states that there will be no new items or classes for students to encounter. She says that they stay close to their practice of teaching fundamentals and building on those. She credits that path as the reason the district is ranked near the top of all area schools year after year. Covid-19 does not concern the district. French says that they will treat it just like the flu and ask that when students are sick, to just stay home. French was also happy to report that transportation is not an issue this year. All bus routes are mapped out and staffed. The first day of school for Peters Township students is Monday August 28.
August 22, 2023 2:43 am
The trial for a Fredricktown man accused of several sex offenses against a child began in Washington County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday. Russell Jolliffe, 33 is accused of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child. The alleged offenses occurred in 2018 in Bentleyville and were discovered in 2021 when a relative of the alleged juvenile victim found pornography on the child’s electronic tablet. Morning testimony centered on the alleged minor victim. The testimony was at times vary labored. It stated how Jolliffe accompanied the juvenile to their room and proceeded with sexual assaults. Further testimony revealed that assaults occurred in retail store bathrooms. The alleged victim testified that the assaults occurred on multiple occasions when they were five years old. Afternoon testimony was provided by expert witnesses in child abuse. An entire forensic interview of the alleged victim was played in court. The interview corroborated testimony from the morning. The prosecution has rested its case, defense testimony will begin at 9:00 AM on Wednesday.
August 22, 2023 2:39 am
A Smith Township man pleaded guilty to an aggravated assault charge on Tuesday. Brian Barish, 53, is accused of physically assaulting his wife at their home in the 20 block of Bulger Block Road in March of 2023. According to police, Barish grabbed his wife by the neck and threw her to the floor, where he held a gun to her head. When police arrived, they held Barish at gunpoint because they believed he was armed, however he was not armed but told police there was a gun in the bedroom. Barish will serve a minimum of 13 days and a maximum of 9 months in Washington County Correctional facility, and he was not ordered to have no contact with the victim.
August 21, 2023 5:37 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Still haven’t seen “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”? This Sunday, you’ll be able to catch up for $4 a ticket in movie theaters nationwide. Theater owners announced Monday that the second annual National Cinema Day will be held Sunday, Aug. 27. For one day, all movies — in all formats and at all showtimes — will be $4 at participating theaters. More than 3,000 theaters are participating, which accounts for most of the cinemas in the U.S., including the leading chains AMC and Regal. Last year’s inaugural National Cinema Day was judged an enormous success. An estimated 8.1 million moviegoers bought $3 tickets on Saturday, Sept. 3, making it the highest attended day of the year in cinemas.
August 21, 2023 1:29 pm
DENVER (AP) — A wealthy dentist convicted of killing his wife at the end of an African safari in Zambia is expected to be sentenced to life in prison Monday for a murder prosecutors say capped off a lifetime “spent seeking domination and control over others through wealth and power.” At the hearing in a Denver federal court, U.S. government prosecutors will also seek to get an estimated $25 million in restitution, seized property and fines from Larry Rudolph. He was also found guilty in federal court last year for mail fraud for cashing in nearly $5 million in insurance policies for his wife, Bianca Rudolph. Larry Rudolph has claimed throughout the case that his wife’s death in the southern African nation in 2016 was an accident. His lawyers plan to appeal the conviction. Prosecutors say Rudolph, who owned a Pittsburgh-area dental franchise, shot his wife of 34 years in the heart with a shotgun on her last morning in Zambia, and then put the gun in its soft case to make it look like she had accidentally shot herself while packing. The couple had been hunting game during their trip. Larry Rudolph could also get more time in prison for mail fraud in addition to paying a nearly $10 million fine, forfeiting millions in assets and paying the insurance companies back, according to what the prosecutors are seeking.
August 21, 2023 6:46 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tropical Storm Hilary deluged arid parts of Mexico and then drenched Southern California from the coast to inland mountains and deserts, forcing rescuers to pull several people from swollen rivers. Millions expected more flooding and mudslides Monday, even as the storm begins to weaken. The storm first made landfall in Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula on Sunday in a sparsely populated area about 150 miles south of Ensenada. One person drowned. It then moved through mudslide-prone Tijuana, threatening the improvised homes that cling to hillsides just south of the U.S. border. The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, Hilary dropped more than half an average year’s worth of rain on some areas, including the desert resort city of Palm Springs.
August 21, 2023 5:31 am
A Motorcycle crash Sunday afternoon in Chartiers Township has left one person hospitalized. Washington County 9-1-1 says it happened just after 4 p.m. at West Pike and S. Johnson Road. Unconfirmed reports are that the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet and was thrown from the bike. They were flown by medical helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital In Pittsburgh. There is no word on their identity or condition.
August 21, 2023 5:22 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A quick-thinking tiki boat captain and the family on board made a daring rescue Saturday afternoon. Cruisin’ Tikis Pittsburgh Captain Robb Rusiewicz and the family said they saved a woman from nearly drowning in the Mon River. “When we first saw her, she was about 100 yards in front of that barge right there,” said Brian Gates of Duncansville. Gates was with his wife Chantel Ventura celebrating their daughter Grace’s 12th birthday with her two friends on a tiki boat tour when he said the captain spotted someone bobbing up and down in the water struggling. Gates quickly called 911. Captain Robb turned the boat in the woman’s direction. “She was struggling with hands and arms, just everything she could do to just to keep her nose above water,” said Gates. The family and boat captain then pulled the woman out of the Mon River. Gates said the woman first told them she was swimming but later told them she fell in. The family said she was disheveled and had cuts all over her feet. Point State Park Manager Jake Weiland said the 54-year-old woman was taken to the hospital for treatment and is expected to recover.
August 21, 2023 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A trial this week will shine a spotlight on a key part of President Joe Biden’s immigration policy. Under the humanitarian parole program, the U.S. allows up to 30,000 people monthly from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The program started for Venezuelans in fall 2022 was expanded in January. People taking part must have a financial sponsor in the U.S. and can then stay for two years and get a work permit. The Biden administration argues the program is vital in its strategy to reduce stress on the U.S.-Mexico border. But in a lawsuit, Republican-leaning states say the administration is usurping the power of Congress.
August 21, 2023 5:17 am
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A progressive from outside Guatemala’s power structure was resoundingly elected the country’s next president Sunday in a reprimand to the governing elite over widespread allegations of corruption. Despite preliminary results showing a potential landslide for anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo, the attention immediately turned to whether he would be allowed to assume power. The current administration’s attempts to suspend his party’s legal status are ongoing. With all votes counted, Arévalo had 58% while 37% went to former first lady Sandra Torres in her third bid for the presidency. The official results still must be certified.
